Title of Submission
Gender Differences in the Prevalence of Mental Health Among Detained Juveniles in Idaho
Degree Program
Health Sciences, MHS
Major Advisor Name
Sarah Toevs
Type of Submission
Scholarly Poster
Abstract
Boise State University’s Center for Health Policy has partnered with the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections to analyze data on juveniles entering Juvenile Detention Centers. The Alaska Screening Tool (AST) screens juveniles for mental health (MH) or substance abuse problems. This study explores MH prevalence rates and gender differences (indicated by the AST) for years 2008-2017. On average, 61% of youth have a MH problem. Girls (70%) were significantly more likely than boys (57%) to have a MH problem, χ2 (N = 12,384) = 165.63, p < .0005. Addressing these problems is important in the rehabilitation of justice-involved youth.